Opinion
Doyle promotes progress
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On behalf of the College Democrats of Madison, I would like to welcome everybody to campus. Whether you are returning to town or beginning your first year in Madison, we're glad you are here. There are so many opportunities for students at this university — both political and otherwise — that I'm certain everyone can find an activity or pursuit they feel strongly about.
As you begin to look at how you will be spending your time on campus, I encourage you to consider joining the College Democrats. This November will be a pivotal time for students in Wisconsin, and with your help, we can set our nation back on track. The Sept. 12 primary elections are just a week away, and the campaign season is already in full swing. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but there is also a ton of fun to be had while we work to make sure the candidates elected best represent the students of the University of Wisconsin.
I have personally spent the last couple of months campaigning for Gov. Jim Doyle, and I've come to understand the many differences that divide the two gubernatorial candidates. These differences — and what they mean for students — are why it is so crucial that Gov. Doyle is reelected on Nov. 7.
For the past four years, Gov. Doyle has fought for the rights of students and has fought to make higher education more affordable in Wisconsin.
When Republicans tried to cut $35 million from the UW System, Gov. Doyle vetoed those cuts. When Republicans tried to cut $8 million from financial aid, Governor Doyle vetoed those cuts. Instead, Gov. Doyle has invested in the UW, doubled financial aid and increased the maximum higher education grant for UW students. The governor has also proposed the Wisconsin Covenant, an innovative new program that will help students from across the state afford a quality education at the University of Wisconsin.
Gov. Doyle, however, understands that a commitment to student values doesn't stop with tuition and financial aid. Students have a number of values that you simply cannot put a dollar amount on. Gov. Doyle supports a woman's right to choose. He has vetoed Republican attempts to allow pharmacists to refuse to fill birth control prescriptions based on their own personal or moral beliefs. He has protected our environment through the Stewardship Program and has been a champion of stem-cell research, which holds the promise of saving lives and curing diseases.
In contrast, Congressman Mark Green has focused his campaign for governor on the issues that connect him most with President George W. Bush. In Washington, Green has voted with the president 92 percent of the time — rubberstamping Bush's failed policies on everything from education to stem-cell research to the war in Iraq. Green opposes choice and a woman's right to birth control; he wants to ban stem-cell research; he opposes equal rights for gay and lesbian families; and he wants to make it harder for students to vote in Madison. He will stop at nothing to further President Bush's out-of-touch values in Wisconsin.
Congressman Green has been no friend of college students. As a member of the state Assembly, Green voted repeatedly to raise tuition. In Congress, he cast the deciding vote to slash federal student aid by more than $12 billion — the largest cut in the program's history. He has voted repeatedly to limit the Pell Grant scholarships available to students. If you care at all about your tuition bill and the debt you could be racking up while in college, is Congressman Green really the governor you want standing up for you?
When the polls close on Election Day, Gov. Doyle and Democrats across the country will be victorious, ushering in a new era of progressive governing and ensuring a brighter future for all Americans. But this will only happen with the hard work of College Democrats like you and me. I urge you to join us in the campaign to keep Wisconsin a blue state and ask you to please stand up for the values and freedoms that are so important to students at UW.
I personally invite each of you to the College Democrats' Kickoff Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. Joining us will be Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and other elected leaders from around the state who will share with us the many opportunities there are for College Democrats to get involved in this fall's elections to help re-elect Gov. Doyle and elect Democrats up and down the ticket.
Eli Lewein (lewein@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in political science. He is also the Chair of the UW-Madison College Democrats.
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There is no Tuesday, September 13. There is either Tuesday the 12 or Wednesday the 13. Not a promising start to the Doyle campaign.
Doyle will definitely need to explain why tuition has gone up so damn much since he's been governor - and it's not because of th Republicans, who clearly would be even worse. But trying to pass off Doyle as a friend of students is, frankly, insulting.
It's Wednesday the 13th- Its on the lit all over campus. Nice visiability though. Where are the CR's?
the writer's name is eli lewien , not eli lewein just to let everyone know! good job copy editors!
Great job College Dems! It is great seeing you out on campus working hard for a good cause. Keep up the hard work. You are noticed, and appreciated, by so many on campus, and "the hill."
Doyle makes McCain look like a Stalin apologist.